Govt sets Dec deadline for acquiring pvt land for NMIA

The move comes as the government is wary of further delays in project’s implementation if the norms under the newly approved Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation Act are made applicable.

Provisions under the new central Act will come into effect from January 1. At a high- level meeting presided over by Chief Secretary Jayant Kumar Banthia Friday,instructions were issued to various departments to expedite the land acquisition process.

About 671 hectares out of the 2,268 hectares land required for the project is private land,which is yet to be acquired.

While the state government has claimed that the compensation it has offered to tenants is better than the package mandated under the New Act,there are apprehensions that the provisions like the need for a socio-economic survey incorporated under the New Act could delay the project.

While senior state officials said it was unlikely that the Act will be applied in retrospective effect,they admitted that there was lack of clarity on this since the rules were yet to be formally shared.

Also,the City Industrial and Development Corporation Ltd (CIDCO) — the project’s implementing authority — hopes to initiate bidding for the project by the end of December. The committee has also approved of a document inviting proposals from private parties,which is now awaiting the approval from the Union Civil Aviation Ministry.

At the meeting,Banthia insisted that acquisition of private land would instill confidence about the project’s implementation among bidders.

To expedite land acquisition,Banthia asked the administration to issue a resolution recognising compensation of 10 per cent of developed land to project affected persons in lieu of monetary compensation. He also directed the settlement commissioner Chandrakant Dalvi’s office and the local Collector’s office to work closely with CIDCO to expedite the process of consent awards.For additional land acquisition officers. Accordingly,CIDCO is set to issue notices to 16,000 khatedars,whose lands are to be acquired.

sandeep.ashar@expressindia.com